Fancy Tiger Sailor Top + Pattern Giveaway

I remember one time in maybe 2009 when my then co-worker Rhea called me over to the computer and showed me the blog of a craft store in Denver called Fancy Tiger. "THIS," she said, "THIS is how you do a craft store." Since then I've spent many an internet minute pining, ogling and swooning over Fancy Tiger's yarn, fabric, window displays and general inspiring awesomeness of businessladies Jaime and Amber.



So needless to say I'm happy to be today's stop on the blog tour for their first garment pattern, the Fancy Tiger Sailor Top. The pattern is available in print and PDF form, AND it's being released as a Creativebug video, so you can see Jaime and Amber in action!

The Sailor Top is a raglan sleeve top with a gathered neckline and sleeves. Bust size range goes from 32-45". The construction is pretty straightforward, and this little number whips up in just a couple of hours. The pattern has instructions meant to be helpful for beginners. I can see this as a good first or second garment for newbie sewists, but even for those with a bit more chops it would make such a pretty silk or rayon blouse.

The fabric I used is a beautiful and dreamy voile that I got from a local shop called Textile Fabrics. I actually bought it when I came to Nashville spontaneously for a weekend when I was thinking about moving here. The selvage says "Ascher Studio."

Because the voile is slightly sheer I decided to do french seams everywhere. [And then I was reeeeaaally excited to take a sheer-garment-against-sunlit-window picture.]

I have decided that raglan sleeves are my current favorite thing. They are just so easy to put together and I find the lines really flattering. The Sailor Top sleeves are finished with a facing, which I really like. I'm weird about sleeves [usually just in my own head, but now you all know] and hate sleeves that are too small/tight/dainty because I feel like a more substantial sleeve balances out my arms. And the wide faced hem does that!

I'm wearing my Sailor Top tucked into a Colette Mabel Skirt. I did take a few pictures with jeans on in case you're wondering what it looks like untucked.

The hem is pretty substantial to match the sleeve facings, which I like. I do love a good'n'chunky hem.

I cut the size small. I didn't do a muslin, and when I tried it on before I stitched down the yoke facing, the back yoke was gaping on me. This is a common thing for me because I have narrow shoulders, especially with something like this that's more straight across and boatneck-ish.

So I did a quick little fix to solve the problem, which you really can't see because of the print. I took two little tucks in the back yoke. They're kind of like little mini fisheye darts across the yoke and yoke facing. Here's what they looked like before I sewed them:

They totally snugged up the back yoke for me! I tried to get a picture of them on the finished shirt, and you can really only see it because the fabric marker ink is still there [haha]:

So now on to the giveaway...one lucky ready will get a free PDF copy of the pattern! Just leave a comment telling me what kind of fabric you're envisioning using for your Sailor Top. Make sure your email address is either in your commenter profile or in your comment. Contest is open until midnight EST Oct 31.

If you'd like to see some other renditions of the Sailor Top - and have other chances to win the pattern! - here's the rest of the blog tour dates and destinations:

Monday, October 27th - A Verb for Keeping Warm

Tuesday, October 28th - Miss Make

Wednesday, October 29th - Workroom/Make Something

Thursday, October 30th - Sew Bon

Friday, October 31st - Very Shannon

Disclaimer: I received the PDF pattern for free in return for participating in the blog tour. All opinions are my own.